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Elizabethtown council meets for special meeting and work session

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The Elizabethtown City Council met for a special meeting and work session Monday evening.

During the special meeting, the council approved a resolution supporting the Elizabethtown Police Department’s application for Law Enforcement Protection Project funds from the Kentucky Office of Homeland Security. Elizabethtown Police Chief Jeremy Thompson said the funds will cover the purchase of new tasers.

“We learned of some grants through Homeland Security, and they want a resolution to make sure that we’re not only serious about it, but on down the road if there’s matching funds, in this particular instance there are not, but just part of the procedures for us to apply for this grant, so we don’t know how much yet,” Thompson said.

During the work session, Elizabethtown Wastewater Management Director Corey Bond discussed updates to the city’s sewer use ordinance needed to update definitions and reflect fee changes that are due to be approved at the next council meeting. Bond also discussed a proposed grease trap program under which the city would help businesses that are still using under-sink grease traps convert to exterior grease traps, which would put them in compliance with current city code and help keep city sewers cleaner.

“So basically in this year’s budget the ask will be $250,000 to put in,” Bond said. “The plan is to send a letter out to each one of these businesses that we know has one and ask them to basically say would you like to participate in this or not, and if not then basically you’re signing off saying that you’re aware that you’re basically not taking advantage of this program and you’re fine, unless one of these things happen then it’s completely on that business at that time.”

Members of the council expressed support for the creation of such a program.

Council members also asked for more information on the proposed creation of a stormwater utility fee. City officials said they would create a list of planned projects and projections for the council to review.

The Elizabethtown City Council will next meet April 7.

Hardin County hosting free waste tire collection event this week

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Hardin County, in cooperation with the Kentucky Division of Waste Management, invites area residents to dispose of waste tires free of charge this week at the old Springfield Road landfill, located at 3870 Rucker Road in Elizabethtown.

“This one only comes around every three years, so it’s very, very important for you guys to get all those tires together and get them and bring them out to us because it’s free as long as you’re living in the state of Kentucky,” said Hardin County Director of Public Works Stephanie Givens. “This is not a county-wide event. This is a statewide event.”

Tires will be accepted on Thursday and Friday from 8 a.m. until 3 p.m. and Saturday from 8 a.m. until noon.

“I know some of the questions we’ve been getting here lately is, can we bring them if they’re on rims?” said Givens. “Yes, you can. You do not have to take the rims off, and now we won’t take the rims off for you and give them back to you, but you can bring them and we’ll take the whole thing.”

Tires that will not be accepted include foam filled, calcium filled, off-road construction, tracks or sheet rubber, solid with or without press on rims, and equipment tires with a bead greater than 1 and 3/4th of an inch.

“We’ll have a lot of people out there,” Givens said. “You should bring help to unload, because it’s not guaranteed that somebody will be out there to help you unload, and we’d like to keep the line moving as quickly as possible.”

Visit www.hardincountyky.gov or contact the county’s solid waste office (270-360-9207) for more information.

USACE seeking new managers for campgrounds at Rough River Lake and Green River Lake

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The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is seeking businesses to manage three area campgrounds at state properties. 

The USACE Louisville District has published notices of availability for two land lease opportunities at Rough River Lake and one at Green River Lake.

According to releases from the USACE, the Louisville District is looking to partner with businesses to help transition management responsibilities for the campgrounds, allowing the business to receive a fair profit while the campground remains an integral part of the lake communities.

The notices of availability begin the formal process of transferring management responsibilities for Rough River Lake’s campgrounds at Cave Creek Multipurpose Recreation Area in Falls of Rough and North Fork Recreation Area in McDaniels, along with Green River Lake’s Pikes Ridge Campground in Campbellsville.

The release states: “USACE is committed to creating a sustainable recreation program and providing a high-quality recreation experience for lake visitors. As part of that effort, the Louisville District is continually evaluating how to best deliver an enduring recreation program despite rising service and maintenance costs and constrained annual budgets.”

Visit the USACE Louisville District website for more information.

CASA of the Heartland invites public to Pinwheels for Prevention events

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April is Child Abuse Prevention Month, and in observance CASA of the Heartland is hosting a Pinwheels for Prevention planting event in each of the five counties the organization serves.

“The pinwheels, because they’re very whimsical and fun, represent the healthy and happy childhood that all children deserve, and so we plant a thousand of them in Hardin County to represent all of the children of Hardin County and the fact that they do deserve that happy, healthy childhood,” said CASA of the Heartland Executive Director Michelle Kail. 

The first planting event is coming up this Thursday.

“We will be hosting our annual pinwheel planting in Hardin County at the Elizabethtown Police Department on March 27 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., and the EPD has so graciously sponsored Juanito Street Tacos again this year, so they will be out there to provide lunch for our participants,” Kail said.

All are welcome to attend Thursday’s event.

“We do have a QR code that we’ve kind of pushed out there for if people want to just kind of sign up in advance so that we can just kind of engage with them and they can stay in the loop about other events and stuff that we’ve got going on, but they can register on site,” Kail said. “They don’t have to register in advance, but it is a free event and completely open to the public.”

Learn more about the organization, including how to serve as a court-appointed special advocate or other opportunities to help, at www.casaheartland.org or on the CASA of the Heartland Facebook page.

HCS board sets last day of school and high school graduation dates

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Hardin County Schools has a new last day of school and has set the dates for their high school graduation ceremonies.

According to a release from the district, the Hardin County Board of Education voted to move the last day of school for kindergarten through twelfth grade students to Friday, May 23. HCS students missed five days of school due to inclement weather, but the board is excusing accumulated time built into the school calendar, allowing the school year to end on a Friday and before Memorial Day.

The board also voted to approve graduation ceremonies for the district’s high schools. North Hardin High School graduation will be May 23 at 7 p.m. at Ray Story Stadium. Central Hardin High School graduation will be May 24 at 11 a.m. at Bruin Gym. John Hardin High School graduation will be on May 24 at 7 p.m. at Bulldog Stadium. Hardin County High School graduates have appointments to walk across the stage and receive their diplomas on May 17.

The schools will communicate logistics with seniors and their families. Contact HCS for more information.